One can only imagine what it feels like to testify in front of individuals who decide what does and does not become law in California. To put it into one word: scary.
I have testified before, but this time felt different. On July 11, in front of the California Assembly Committee on Public Safety in support of Senate Bill 14 to make the sex trafficking of children a serious felony, I felt like I was on trial, defending my life and the horrific experiences I have endured that have made me into who I am today. But I did not walk into that room to defend myself. I did it to defend the innocence of every child in the world. This moment was monumental to me.
SB 14 is a collaborative effort between Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield), the Kern County District Attorney’s Office and myself. If any crime should be a serious felony to keep rightfully punish repeat offenders, it is the trafficking of a minor for sex.
Testifying before the public safety committee about the bill, I spoke about how I was trafficked as a child and sold to the highest bidder. I was told at a very young age that I would be nothing more than a bed for men to lay on. My innocence was taken, and my belief in humanity was stolen from me.
We have an innate responsibility to take care of our children. It is naturally in us to want to help others as human beings. But as I listened to the responses to my testimony, my heart sank. How could they not realize the severity of this issue?
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One committee member talked about the three strikes law; another talked about how this bill would affect Black and the brown communities; and another spoke about the mass incarceration rate. None spoke about the countless children being sold for money or held captive. They did not speak about the immense violence that takes place and the brainwashing that is endured as trafficked children are stripped of their identities. I heard so many political issues brought up, but I heard no compassion for the children. This is not a political issue; it is a human issue.
In my testimony, I said that “when you finally decide to care it may be too late.” I can’t help but think that their unsympathetic responses may have been different had this issue reached their front doors. If their daughters, sons, nieces or nephews were impacted by human trafficking. If we continue to do nothing, this heinous issue will inevitably reach their homes.
One by one, committee members said they could not support SB 14. We left the hearing feeling not so much defeated as confused and emotional. We knew the fight was not over. The media chimed in right away, and public figures including Elon Musk and Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed their support for the bill, as did countless celebrities. There was media coverage from Croatia to Bakersfield. The world heard the committee’s response, and they were not pleased with the decision.
Then, the tables turned. Newsom and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas intervened, and the public safety committee held another vote on SB 14 two days later on July 13. This time, it passed.
I’m happy, but I know there is still more work that needs to be done. I implore the public to call their state representatives and voice their support for SB 14. The bill must still pass through the Assembly Appropriations Committee and the Assembly floor before it finally reaches Newsom.
My faith has helped me survive, and I felt God in the room while I was testifying. I know one thing for certain: God’s children are not for sale.
Odessa “Dess” Perkins is the CEO of emPOWERment, an organization which helps at-risk youth and sex/human trafficking victims. A human trafficking survivor, Perkins is a published author, business owner, speaker, educator and intervention counselor.
